Whether you are a bona fide athlete or an office warrior, just about anyone can experience heel pain. In fact, this problem is actually far more common than you may realize. While heel pain can be caused by a variety of issues from Achilles tendonitis to bone spurs, in most cases an inflammatory condition known as plantar fasciitis is the culprit.
Plantar fasciitis is a condition that usually comes about from overuse. If you suddenly increased the intensity or duration of a workout, or if you’ve changed up your running terrain for something significantly more challenging, then you put yourself at risk for developing this inflammatory condition. Those who participate in certain sports, those who are overweight and those whose occupations require them to stand for long periods of time are particularly susceptible to plantar fasciitis.
If you are already plagued with heel pain you may be wondering when it’s time to seek professional care. While many cases of heel pain can be managed with conservative measures such as icing, resting and over-the-counter pain relievers, there are some people that deal with such persistent or severe heel pain that the best option is to seek a podiatrist’s opinion.
Those dealing with severe heel pain and swelling, those who have to change their routines around to accommodate their heel pain and those who haven’t found any relief from at-home care would do well to visit our foot doctor to find out more effective ways to eliminate your pain. Even though plantar fasciitis can certainly be the cause of your heel pain there could be another reason for your discomfort, which is why a professional diagnosis might be necessary if you are finding yourself dealing with this issue for several months without any relief.
While conservative treatments are usually the first course of action, if these methods don’t manage your symptoms and facilitate healing then we can also recommend more aggressive options such as corticosteroid injections and extracorporeal shockwave therapy (EWST) to handle more severe pain and swelling.
If you have experienced heel pain, contact us to request an appointment.